Boy names never came easily to us. At some point in my pregnancy we had whittled the list to about 16 names. Still no decision could be made.
I invested in a magnetic white board, wrote all of our names on the board and stuck it to the fridge.
We were forced to look at it, forced to pick a name.
Every once in awhile we’d walk past it and cross a name off with our finger. It just didn’t fit anymore.
We sought advise for all corners of the globe. We finally decided on taking 2 names to the hospital with us. Everyone always said “You’ll know when you see him.” or “The perfect name will come to you the minute you lay eyes on your baby.”
We kept our two names a secret.
Miles and Elliot
Both names we loved. We’d wait and see what he “looked like” then choose.
The moment came. When he was born I don’t remember every thinking he looked like one name or another. I was too focused on him. The miracle that was our little boy.
In the hours that followed it was just me, Aaron and our baby. Aaron was holding him walking around the room, not able to take his eyes off of him and I asked him.
“I don’t know” He responded.
It wasn’t as easy and seeing him and picking a name. The perfect name didn’t come to me like so many had said. I was completely ambivalent to the name he had.
I really wanted Aaron to pick his name. I wanted to give him that.
I asked “Is he a Miles or an Elliot?”
He looked at him adoringly and shrugged his shoulders.
We both looked at him and asked him, “Is your name Miles or Elliot?”
I don’t know what we were expecting. For him to perk up when he heard one or the other? We asked a couple more time. Called him both names and waited for a sign.
Surprisingly. He didn’t offer much help.
I was worried because I wanted to make the announcement he was born, but I didn’t want to do it without a name. It was already 2 hours after, we needed to call our families.
“How about Miles?” I asked. Aaron shook his head. And We said “Hi Miles.”
It was perfect. He was perfect.
He is perfect. Perfectly Miles.
**My only regret of that evening was taking so long to come up with a name when in our hearts we always knew it would be Miles.
Everything we have from the hospital says “Baby Boy Eaton”
Like he wasn’t even there. Being born around Christmas they had these adorable crib markers on his little rolling bassinet that should have had his name written in it. But it’s blank. Small thing in the grand scheme of everything that happened that day, but it still makes me sad to see it.
ETA: In intrest of full disclosure, since that day we can count on our fingers the amount of time we have actually called him by his name. The word Miles actually only comes out of our mouths when we are talking to someone about him and it still sounds weird. When he was a newborn we called him Little Guy, then Little Man. Somewhere down the road Baby morphed into BeBe, which morphed further into Beebs. (like beads but with a b instead of a d)
Now on to Step #2: Teaching him his name!!
OUR "baby" (now 10) came early, so we were without a name when he was born, too. It didn't take long before he was Jack…and doctor who delivered him…Miles. :)
Your Miles is precious!!!
He is so handsome, and this post is so sweet. I LOVE his name, but I know what you mean about not using it very often — Andrew is almost always Bug, Buddy, or Sweet Boy. He's only Andrew when he's in trouble!
We had Abigail for quite awhile. It was the first name we agreed on, so we didn't even want to think of another one for fear that we'd have to make a decision! The middle name, though – we didn't decide on that for 4 days after she was born! (And we never call Abbi "Abbi" either. She is bug, buggles, bugs – or any other thing we can tack on the end of bug!)
I sure love reading your words. And seeing that little grandson does things to my heart that I can't fully describe.
THANKS!
He is so so handsome! I just want to kiss those lips!